1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to shelters and, more particularly, relates to a shelter assembly in which personal property can be stored and which can be opened from either side, either manually or by a motorized system, in either case permitting for essentially full opening in either direction of the cover by the use of independently articulating cover-supporting ribs.
2. Background Art
Enclosures for sheltering personal possessions such as motorcycles, bicycles, lawn and garden equipment, etc. are highly desirable but typically prohibitively expensive, so much so that a typical homeowner or tenant cannot afford a residence equipped with one. Consequently, the homeowner or tenant either forgoes ownership of such sought after personal belongings or suffers the consequence of premature deterioration due to exposure to the elements.
Rudimentary efforts at protecting such belongings begin with draped covers made of flexible sheets, typically of waterproof material. These types of covers provide extremely quick and easy access to the property covered thereby.
Other attempts at protecting items of personal property are disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. No. 6,052,951 to Daoud; U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,237 to Arnic; U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,982 to Foote; U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,121 to Taylor; U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,083 to Gamache; U.S. Pat. No. 4,306,390 to Brown; U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,520 to Warner, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 2,728,115 to Cornelius; U.S. Pat. No. 1,572,790 to Grigsby; and U.S. Pat. No. 841,719 to Ross. As will be described hereinafter, the cover of the present invention differs from those previously proposed in a significant number of ways which will be described in more detail herein below. Among the shortcomings overcome by the instant invention are the inadequacies in the various mechanisms about which the prior art covers hinge and the operability of the covers in terms ease of opening and closing the shelters.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a shelter that is easy to use and does not require one to manually unfold and install a cover over articles of personal property.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a shelter for articles of personal property which opens from either side to permit access to and permit removal from or placement of articles within the shelter from either side and which opens essentially as wide as if no cover were employed.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a shelter for articles of personal property which can be opened and closed, and locked closed or opened, or hold in any one of a plurality of intermediate positions.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a shelter having an articulating cover which employs an extremely durable and versatile hinging apparatus.
It is another object of the invention to provide a portable cover that fully collapses to the ground on either side of the space covered by the cover.